Despite the remarkably silly name (seriously I feel awkward typing it), The Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort is a amazingly fun time, really for all ages. Hoop Dee Doo, which I will now shorten to “HDD” for the remainder of this blog post, is a 2 hour dinner show featuring the “Pioneer Hall Players” with rousing Wild West dancing, singing, and vaudeville comedy. Thats what it says on the website. Seriously though, it really is fun, and the food is great.

The outside of Pioneer Hall, waiting for HDD to start

You get a nice commemorative picture near this sign with your group that will show up with your photo-pass

HDD is located at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort in Pioneer Hall. I’ve written about Fort Wilderness in my post about Crockett’s Tavern, and again I recommend taking the very pretty boat ride from Magic Kingdom over to Fort Wilderness, and getting there early to either get a drink at Crockett’s Tavern, or walk the grounds of Fort Wilderness. If you go that route, the only thing I recommend is leaving early, because the boat can get backed up right before HDD begins.

Seating options and pricing at HDD, as of 4.30.2017 from the Walt Disney World website

There are 3 seating times for HDD, 4:00pm, 6:15pm, and 8:30pm. You’ll get the same show at each seating, and they are all priced the same. There are tiers of pricing that are determined by where you are sitting. You have a good view wherever you are, so its really up to you. I will say that I actually prefer the balcony seating because there is only one row of tables up there, so there isn’t anyone in between you and the stage-action. Also because I’m not very big on audience participation, and if you’re in the main floor category 1 seating area, you might get some of that. I wont spoil it for you.

View of the stage from the balcony

View of the stage from Tier 2 seating

HDD, as I said, is a dinner show. Its actually one of the longest running musical theater performances in the United States, which is kind of cool. Its been running since 1974. The show consists of 6 people with live musical accompaniment, who are a “traveling theater troupe” in the Wild West (get it, Pioneer Hall Players…? Yeah.). Since its a musical, there are plenty of songs, but also skits and jokes and some general funniness that will keep everyone in your family entertained. At the end of the night, get ready to spin your checked napkin over your head and/or play a washboard with a spoon, because thats what you’re going to be doing, along with the rest of the audience. You’ll have fun, really. I know it sounds silly when you’re a 30 year old adult without any kids. You should go anyway.

The HDD players, image courtesy disneyworld.go.com

Okay, but it does bother me a little bit that people are spinning their dirty napkins over their head and rubbing used spoons on washboards, but that might just be me. Its still fun. I guess thats just part of the spirit of the evening.

HDD Menu

Salad at HDD

Cornbread and butter at HDD

Moving on. Lets talk about the food. THE AMAZING FOOD. I’m not kidding, it really is great. Its all you can eat and you will be very excited about it being all you can eat. Its also all you can drink, with choices of non-alcoholic drinks, wine, beer (bud light or yuengling, nothing that entertaining), and sangria. Unfortunately the last time we were at HDD I was horrendously ill with some kind of flu/cold/disease, so I was woefully unable to partake, but they’ll bring you a pitcher of the alcoholic drinks if you ask. They’re all served in mason jars. Cute.

Beer at HDD

For food, you get this amazing selection of cornbread, salad, fried chicken, BBQ pork ribs, a seasonal veggie (its usually corn), mashed potatoes, beans, and strawberry shortcake. We also got surprise mac-and-cheese last time, which was super exciting. THE FRIED CHICKEN IS SO GOOD I DREAM ABOUT IT. All of these are brought to your table in metal buckets that they will slam onto the table making an exceptionally loud noise that will scare the hell out of you if you’re not paying attention and are watching the show. You can ask for seconds of anything you’d like.

You probably shouldn’t fill up on cornbread or salad, but honestly they’re really REALLY good.

Strawberry shortcake, DOESN’T IT LOOK GOOD?!

The real show-stopper (hah, get it, because its a dinner show? …I’m so sorry…), is the strawberry shortcake. Its great. SO GREAT. The only thing that I wish is that you have a little bit more time to eat it. Its served at the end of the night, because obviously its dessert, and you eventually need to leave and stop eating. I eat really slow so this is sometimes an issue with dinner show type settings. Regardless of this criticism, its still awesome.

So Drinking Ever After, what are your thoughts on the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue?

I know, it has a silly name. I know, you might feel stupid as a couple of adult 30 year olds going to a Disney dinner show. And I know, all you can eat BBQ when there are some really awesome and creative restaurants at Disney combined with what is essentially shitty beer might sound less than tempting at first glance.

You should go anyway. HDD is one of my favorite dinner experiences at Disney. Its fun, even the silly singing is fun, the food is actually some of the better food I’ve had on property, and its just done right.

There is definitely a reason this is one of the longest running dinner theater shows in America. When Disney does something for over 40 years, they definitely do it correctly.

Its also really fun if you go for any sort of life event, like a birthday or anniversary. They will point it out, and its definitely a fun event to commemorate the occasion.

Disney’s Fort Wilderness has 2 options for guests, a campground and cabins for rent. This could be a very cost effective option for those of you who are looking to spend a little less on your lodging.

Its very easy to get to Fort Wilderness from Magic Kingdom, among other options, you can hop on a boat that will take you right there.

Fort Wilderness is a very cool resort to visit if you get the chance. There are a ton of recreation options such as archery, pony, wagon, and carriage rides, boat rentals, fishing, canoe rentals, bike rentals, and the Wilderness Back Trail adventure which takes you through the resort on a segway. And the resort is on about 750 acres of cypress and pine forest, so there is a ton of animal life to see. We’ve seen a lot of deer!

When we were there they also had some specialty drinks made with Ole Smoky Moonshine – very fitting for the atmosphere.

Strawberry Lemonade made with Ole Smoky Strawberry Moonshine.

We tried the Strawberry Lemonade made with Ole Smoky Strawberry Moonshine, Odwalla Lemonade, Wild Strawberry Monin, and Sprite. It is very appropriately served in a mason jar. I was a little afraid to try this because I’ve never had Ole Smoky Moonshine, but it just tasted like alcoholic strawberry lemonade. I do recommend the drink though, it was pretty good. I wish I had tried some of the other options!

With a full bar and some snack options, Crockett’s Tavern is a nice spot to sit if you’re staying at Fort Wilderness, waiting to go to Trails End or Hoop Dee Do Musical Review, or just want to see the resort.

So Drinking Ever After, what are your thoughts on Crockett’s Tavern?

While I wouldn’t necessarily make a special trip specifically to go there, checking it out should you be staying at Fort Wilderness or visiting is definitely recommended. And don’t be afraid to try a drink made with moonshine!

About this blog

We are an early-thirties couple living in Florida interested in Disney, restaurants, geeky Florida happenings, and craft beer. We hope this blog will be helpful for young adults and adults heading to Disney, with some cool stuff along the way including restaurant reviews and fun Florida events.